Railway-gate



' (No Model.)

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z RAILWAY GATE.

Patented Sept. 15, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM G. ROOME, OF JERSEY CITY, NET JERSEY;

RAILWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,657, datedSeptember 15, 1896. Application filed November 17, 1893. Serial No.491,256. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM G. RooME, of the city of Jersey City, inthe Vcounty of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have inventeda certainnew and useful Improvement in Railway-Gates, of which the following is aspecification.

The construction which forms the subjectl matter of this application isspecially adapted for use in connection with such a construction as isshown in Patent No. 558,565, granted to me April 21, 1896. y

I will describe my improvement in detail, and then point out the novelfeatures in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a diagrammatic View of aportion of a railway track and appurtenances embodying my improvement.Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating other modified means foroperating my improvement. Fig. 3 illustrates other modified means foroperating my improvement.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

Referring first to Fig. l, A designates a railway-track of ordinaryoranysuitable construction. It may be regarded as one of the tracks of adouble-track railroad on which trains may travel in the directionindicated by the arrow w. Y

B designates an arbitrary representation of a dynamo-electric machine.The machine I use may be of any desired type. This dynamois intended tosupply current for certain gates or signaling devices employed in thesystem. l

The track A comprises a number of sections a a2. The section a may beregarded as a section extending from a depot or station. The railscomprised in each track-section are intended to be made electricallycontinuous. This maybe done by means of fishplates, chairs, or otherdevices made of metal and electrically connecting the ends of abuttingrail-sections; A simple way of connecting adjacent rail-sectionscomprised in the track-section is to fasten the ends of a wire betweeneach pair of adjacent rail-sections. The rails comprised in eachtrack-section are, in this example of my invention, electricallyindependent of those comprised in every other track-section. Theirelectrical independence may be secured by employing chairs or ish-platesof insulating material, such as wood, between the rails comprised'in onetrack-section and those comprised in each adjacent track-section. y

' In this example of my improvement I use what may be regarded as a maincircuit comprisin g all the signals and protecting devices, and I alsouse a track circuit or circuits. In each track-circuit the rails of oneof the track-sections is comprised.

I will first describe the main'eircuit and its appurtenances. Cdesignates a wire leading from one pole oreleetrode of thedynamoelectric machine B to the ground. As here shown it is representedas connecting with a ground-plate G. C2 designates another wireextending :from the other pole or electrode of the dynamo-electricmachine. This Wire extends to a point where the main circuit branches,one branch C3 `extending to one terminal or contact point of aresistance device E and the other branch C extending to one end of thecoil of an electromagnets' belonging to a cautionary signal S.

From the other end of the coil of the electromagnet s a wire C7 extendsto one end of the coil of an clectromagnet S2 belonging to adanger-signal S2. From the other end of the coil ot this magnet a wireC8 extends to a contact-piece t" belonging to the circuitchanger II',here shown as consisting of alever fulcrumed at one end to a pin 7L' andhaving at the other end a contact-piece which is adapted tocoact withthe contact-pieces z" i2.

Freni the circuit-changer H a Wire C0 eX- tends and connects with thewire C4, extending from the resistance device E.

The resistance device E in that branch of the main circuit comprisingthe Wires C3 C*L is employed to make this circuit branch approximatelycorrespond in resistance with the other branch of the main circuitcomprising the Wires CG C7 CSC, and comprising the coils of the magnetss' s2 belonging to the signals S S2 and the circuit-changer H.

The main-circuit wire C4 extends to one extremity of one of the coils ofa transformer K. This transformer may be of any suitable constructioncomprising low and high potential coils. If a direct-current dynamo beused, a dynamotor (sometimes called a motor-dynamo) or direct-currenttransformer would be preferable. In other cases the ordinaryalternating-current transformer or any other kind would suffice. Thistransformer K is employed to furnish current of low potential to thetrack-circuit, comprising the rails of the track-section cl2, the wireC4 being connected with one extremity of the high-potential coil of thetransformer. From the other extremity of the high-potential coil of thetransformer a wire C5 extends to the ground, represented here by aground-plate G2.

From the extremities of the low-potential coil of this transformer wiresare extended to the ends of the rails comprised in the tracksection a2.From the ends of the rails at the other end of the section a2 Wires areconnected with the magnet I' of the circuit-changer H', thus completingthis track-circuit and energizing the magnet I when there is no train onthe track-section a2.

When the magnet I' controlling the circuitchanger H' is denergized andthe circuitchanger leaves the contact-piece il', it will in this exampleof my improvement impinge against the contact-piece i2 and establishanother branch circuit comprising a wire C18 and a Wire C1. The wiresC18 and C12 connect With the ends of the coils of an electromagneticdevice M, which may consist of a solenoid or of an electromagnetic motorcapable of producing even a greater movement. The wire C12 connects withthe wire C5. The electromagnetic motor M is intended to operate a gateN, located at a crossing, to lower the gate. Normally the gate will bemaintained by a weight u in an elevated position. It is understood thatwhen any track-section is short-crcuited'out by the passage of a train,car, or locomotive over it the gate controlled by the circuit comprisingthat section will be lowered.

In Fig. 2 I have shown three different blocks or sections of track, eachof which is operated independently of every other block or section. Inthe track-sections a a2 of the track A, I have shown signals connectedwith the gates, but as this is not necessary I show the section cl3 ofthe track A Without any signal in connection with the gate controlled bythat section. It will also be noticed that each section of the track Ahas locally-independent circuits energized from transformers K' K2 K3 K4K5 K2, these transformers being energized from the dynamo B, but in thisexample of my invention beingl connected with the dynamo B in multiplearc'. In its wiring each of the local circuits of the severaltracksections a' c2 a2 of the track A is shown slightly different fromthe rest. I have done this simply to show different means of operatingmy gates.

The magnet, solenoid, or electromagnetic the gate N' being normallyraised by a Weight u'. Vhen a train enters the track-section a', themagnet of the circuit-changer H is shunted out of circuit and thecircuit-chan ger 7o is shifted by means of the spring J so as to impingeagainst the contact-piece 2 of this circuit-changer, energizing themagnet, solenoid, or electromagnetic motor M', raising the back part ofthe gate N', which is pivoted at 75 a point p', and raising the weightu' and lowering the front end of the gate over the crossing.

The Wires C15 C16 C17, circuit-changer H', contact-piece i',signal-magnet s', and the 8o ends of the coil of the transformer K whichare not connected to the wires C3 CA1 form the normal local circuit forthe track-section a', and the Wires C15 C18 C19 C17 form with the coilof the magnet M of the gate N' and contact- 85 piece 2, together withthe same coil of the transformer as in the other local circuit, anothercircuit through the gate-magnet, lowering the same.

Coming now to the track-section c2, a trans- 9o former supplies energyfora local circuit in this track-section CL2 from 011e of its coils, theother coil being connected by wires C7 C2 to the wires C' C2. This istransformer K3 and from the terminals of the coil supplying energy tothe local circuit wires C20 and C23 extend. The wire C20 leads to acircuitchanger H2, and from a contact-piece 3 the circuit is continuedby Wire C21 to one end of the coil of an electromagnet s2 belonging to a10o signal. From the other end of this coil awire C22 extends to thegate-magnet or electromagnetic motor M2 belonging to the gate N2. Thisgate has combined with it a weight and is pivoted at a point p2. Fromthe other end 1o 5 of the coil of the magnet M2 the wire C22 returns thecircuit to the transformer.

The gate N2, controlled by the second tracksection a2, is connected withits magnet M2 on the reverse side of the pivot p2 to that of the 11ogate N of track-section a'. The magnet of the gate N2 tends to hold thegate open and upon this magnet becoming denergized by its circuit beinginterrupted by the circuitchanger H2 the weight u2 will pull the gate115 down and close it over the crossing.

The gate N' of the track-section c has its magnet connected to thereverse side of the pivot p to that of the gate N2, and here the magnetM' is normally out of circuit and the 12o gate is held open by theWeight a'. When the circuit-chan ger H' shifts its contact-piece fromthe normal position against the contactpiece i', so as to connect withthe contactpiece t2, the magnet M' is energized, and by 125 lifting theback end of the gate lowers the other end across the crossing.

In the track-section a2 the gate N8 has two magnets combined with it,one for lowering and one for raising. The magnet M3 is nor` 13o mally incircuit through the Wires G26 C25 C24, contact-piece 4, and one of thecoils of the transformer K5, the other coil of this transformer beingconnected to the Wires C' C2 by Wires O11 C12.

The magnet M8 tends to keep the gate N3 open. A magnet M4 is connectedto the lower side of the gate and tends to close the same whenever thecircuit-changer H3 shifts its contact from the contact-piece 4 to thecontact-piece 5 through the Wires C27 C28.

The dynamo B has leading from it wires C' C2. From these wires thetransformers K K2 K3 K1 K5 K6 are supplied with energy by means of thewires C3 and O4, C5 and C6, C7 and C8, C9 and, C10, C11 and C12, CandC14, respectively.

The transformers K2, K4, and K6 are intended to energize thetrack-circuits d d2 d3, respectively. They are connected from theirlow-potential coils to their respective trackcircnits by Wires C29 C30O31 C32 C83 G34, respectively, theother end of these track-circuitsbeing connected to the coils of the circuitchangers H I-I2 H3,respectively.

Eig. 3 is similar to Fig. l, With the exception that the transformer Kis dispensed With and a track-battery L takes its place and supplies thetrack-circuit ft2 with a low-potential current.

A resistance device E has been also added to compensate for the removalof the transformer K. This resistance device E should be proportioned soas to be as near the resistance of the magnet M of the signal N aspossible.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,:is--

l. A common source of electrical energy supplying powerto a number ofsections of a block system, a gate operated from said com mon source, atransformer .energized by power from the common source, and a trackcircuit or circuits comprised in the low-potential circuit of saidtransformer and serving to control the operation of the gate, substantially as specified.

2. A common source of electrical energy supplying power to a number ofsections of a block system, a gate operated from said common source, atransformer energized by a power from the common source and serving tocontrol the operation of the gate, and a track circuit or circuitsgoverning the action of the transformer, substantially as specified.

3. In a block system the combination of a number of sections, a commonsource of power, one or more transformers for the sections energizedfrom the common source of power, a track-circuitcomprising the rails ofa section included in the low-potential circuit of the transformer and agate operated from Y the common source of power and controlled in itsoperation by a track-circuit, substantially as specified.

1. In 'a block system comprising a series of gates and a series ofsignals, the combination of a number of sections, a common source ofpower, one or more transformers for the sections energized from thecommon source of power, a track-circuit comprising the rails of asection included in the low-potential circuit of the transformer, saidseries of gates and signals being operated from the common source ofpower and controlled in their operation by a trackcircuit, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM G. ROOME.

Witnesses:

ANTHONY GREF, WILLIAM M. ILIFF.

